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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. mate — a partner
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. content — the amount
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. clip — for paper
  11. mate — a friend
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. deal — to handle
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. mate — to breed
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. content — happy
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. clip — to cut
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. clip — a video
  24. calf — a young animal

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com